Vacuum fuel-feed device.



W. JA Y. YACUUM FUEL FEED DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6, IBM. 1,288,420.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

of the United States, residing at WEBB JAY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VACUUM FUEL-FEED DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

Application filed December 6, 1917. Serial No. 205,875.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WEBB J AY a citizen dhicago, in the county: of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vacuum Fuel-Feed Devices,

. of which the following is a specification,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved construction in a vacuum fuel device, particularly adapted for maintaining an adequate degree of vacuum in the vacuum chamber of the device, notwithstanding deficiency sometimes occurring in the suction derived from the ordinary source of suction It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings The figure is a sectional view showing in vertical axial section a portion of an engine and the vacuum feed device for serving the same, equipped withthis invention.

In the drawings there is shown in conventional form a portion of an engine, A, of which 1 is the mount of one of the engine valves, 2, said valve being either one of the intake valves or one of the exhaust valves, as may be found most convenient in the particular engine, the accessibility of the valve mount in respect to the position most convenient'for the vacuum feed device being the determining consideration in the selecr tion of a valve utilized for the purpose of the invention. The customary pet cock is unscrewed from the valve mount and in its place there is attached the chamber, 3, of a pumping device which has a threaded boss, 3, for the purpose of being thus screwed into the seat from which the pet cock is removed. In this pump chamber there is a reciprocating piston, 4, having a stem which protrudes through the boss, 3, and extends into the valve mount in position to be within 7 the stroke of the valve in its reciprocation when the piston, 4, is thrust to a certain depth in the chamber of the pumping device. The opposite end of the chamber is closed by a cap, 5, having a nipple, 5, by which it is connected by the stem of a T-fitting, 6, which is interposed in the suction line, 7, leading from a sourceof vacuum, as the intakeof the engine, to the vacuum chamber 8, of the vacuum fuel feed device, in which a vacuous condition is to be produced for drawing thereinto a liquid fuel, supplied, for example, through a pipe, 9, from a low level main fuel supply tank, 10, as is customary. In the suction line 7 there are two check valves, one at each side of the T-fitting, 6, both opening for fluid movement toward the source of suction, and seating in the 0pposite direction. In the pump chamber there is a spring, 11, reacting between the piston and the cap or head, 5, of the chamber, tending to force the piston in opposition to the suction which reaches the pump chamber from'the suction line through the T-fiting, 6.

Upon considering this structure it will be seen that the spring, 11, being constructed or selected in view of the area of the piston, 4, for resisting a suction amounting, say, to two pounds, or four inches of mercury, operating through the suction line, will be overcome when the suction operating in the line amounts to more than this; and thereby, the piston under those circumstances will be withdrawn against the resistance of the spring, withdrawing its stem from the valve, 2; and if the suction is sufficiently more than the predetermined minimum mentioned, the piston will be so far withdrawn, that the stem will be entirely out of reach of the stroke of the valve. But upon the suction falling below the predetermined minimum, the spring will thrust the piston in the direction for intruding the piston stem into the valve mount, and into the range of stroke of the valve, so that the valve at each reciprocation will give a reciprocation to the piston, causing it to operate for pumping to draw air out of the vacuum chamber, 8, and to feed it on toward the source of suction, for example, the engine intake. And it will thus result that whenever the suction operat-ing from the source of suction is inadequate for producing the desired degree of vacuum in the vacuum chamber, the pumping device will be operated by the engine valve with which it is connected as described, for supplementing the suction, producingthe desired degree of vacuum in the vacuum chamber.

It will be obvious that the pumping device may be other than a pump of the piston type, it being only essential that it involve a reciprocating, spring opposed member, represented in the type ofpump shown, by the pump piston. It will be obvious also, that the moving part of the engine mechanism which is utilized for operating the pumping device under the conditions of deficient suction need not necessarily be an engine valve, any back-and-forth moving part of the engine mechanism being suitable for the purpose provided a convenient means in the vicinity of it can be found for mounting the pumping device.

When the pumping device is of the piston and cylinder type, it is preferably mounted with the end from which, the piston stem protrudes for engagement with the moving part of the engine mechanism, downward;

and the lower end of the cylinder is then advisedly provided with ,an interior annular pocket for containing a piston-sealing or packing liquid (which purpose willusu'ally be served by any suitable lubricantfor the piston) and being then furnished with a skirt, 4:, which dips in this pocket and into the liquid contents thereof at each reciprocation, causing the piston to be liquidpacked in the cylinder.

1 claim:

1. In combination with an engine, a pumping device consisting of a pump chamber, a movable partitioning member in said chamber; a chamber having at oneside of said partitioning member two connections, one leading to the engine intake; a chamber in which a vacuous condition. is to be produced to"which the other of said connections leads; a stem extending fromthe partitioning member out through the opposite side of the pump chamber, said pump chamher being adapted for vcbnnection to the body of one of the engine valves, and said stem being adapted to extend in at such connection for encounter wit the engine valve so as to be actuated by. the reciprocation of the latter.

In a construction such as out in claim 1- foregoing, the pump chamber being a cylinder for a piston, and the partitioning member being a piston movable therein.

3. In combination with the structure set out in claim 1, a low level fuel supply tank anda conduit therefrom connected for discharge into the vacuous conditioned chamher, said chamber being at a higher level than said tank and means for alternating day of-December, 191T incense the dominance of suction and liquid discharging premure in said higher chamber, and for the discharge of liquid therefrom.

' 4. In a structure such as set out in claim 1 foregoing, a spring re-acting upon said partitioning member for moving it in direction' to thrust the stem out for encounter with the engine valve.

5. A pumping device for providing elevated liquid fuel supply for an automobile engine, consisting of a pump chamber to be mounted fixedly with respect to the engine;

a movable partitioning. member in said chamber, the chamber having at one side of said partitioning member two connections, one leading to the engine intake and the other to the vacuum chamber of the fuel feed device, said chamber having a,

movable wall and a spring re-acting upon said movable wall to expand the chamber, said mevabie wa l a stem which extends into position for encounter with the back-and-forth movingpart of the engine,

and one-way-seating valves in said connection arranged for openin in the direction of suction toward the engine intake.

7. In a structure such asset out in the last claim foregoing, the moving wall of said chamber being a piston, the chamber being positioned for substantially vertical reciprocation ofthe piston, and the stem extending from the lower side of the piston, the chamber having an annular pocket at its lower end for containing a piston sealing, and a piston having a skirt which-dips in said pocket at the downward limit of the pistons movement in the chamber.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set mv hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 1st WEBB JAY. 

